History of Lowndes County Alabama United States of America

Our database does not include an historic photo for Lowndes County Alabama, do you have one you would like to contribute? Contact Us!

This county was established by an act approved Jan. 20, 1830, from territory taken from Montgomery, Dallas, and Butler. The part taken from Butler has since been given to Crenshaw, otherwise Lowndes preserves its original dimensions.

It lies near the center of the State, south of Autauga, west of Montgomery, north of Butler, and east of Dallas and Wilcox.

It was named for Mr. Lowndes, the South Carolina statesman.

Its area is about 750 square miles. The assessed value of real estate in 1870 was $2,438,177; personal property $849,439; total $3,287,616.

The population is for 1870 was 5,086 whites and 20,633 blacks.

The cash value of farm lands - 126,185 acres improved, and 153,857 acres unimproved - in 1870 was $2,271,911. The value of live stock - 1081 horses, 2706 mules, 4167 neat cattle, and 8465 hogs - is $644,755. The production in 1869 were 1783 bushels of wheat, 453,187 bushels of corn, 10,901 bushels of oats, 24,914 bushels of potatoes, 55,517 pounds of butter, and 18,369 bales of cotton; the value of animals slaughtered was $53,443; and the value of farm productions was $2,176,738.

Lowndes stands seventh on the list of counties with respect to production of corn and cotton. It lies in the agricultural belt, with a soil richly alluvial, or fertile even where it is light. The surface is rolling or flat, with much prairie and bottom land.

The Alabama laves the entire northern boundary, and is navigable for steamers nine months of the year. The railways from Montgomery to Mobile, and from Montgomery to Selma, pass through the county, the former having 21-1/4, and the later 22-1/2 miles, of its track within its limits.

HAYNEVILLE, the seat of justice, has about 550 habitants. It was named for Hon. R. Y. Hayne of South Carolina.

Lowndesboro - first called McGill's Hill - has about 500 inhabitants. Benton has about 400 inhabitants; and Fort Deposit is of equal size.

The Umscogee town Econachaca (holy ground) stood on the river in the northern part of Lowndes. It was of recent construction, but their prophets told the Indians during the war that the whites would sink into the earth, as they approached the sacred spot. In December 1813, Gen. Claiborne left Fort Claiborne with about 1000 men, including 150 Choctas under Pushmataha. Marching in a northeasterly direction, he built an earthwork at the highlands south of the Litohatchee, (Double Creek), and called it Fort Deposit. A rapid march of forty miles then brought this force before Econachaca. The assault was vigorous, the whites advancing in a crescent-shaped line, the cusps of which were meant to rest on the river and cut off the flight of the savages. The line on the lower side did not reach the bank, and when the converging force began a sharp and rapid fire on the Indians in the village, who had been made careless of defense by the promise of the prophets, they made a brief but fierce resistance, then fled down the bank, and into the swamps. About thirty Indians and negroes were left dead on the ground, while the whites lost one killed and twenty wounded. The half-breed chief, William Weatherford, fought till he saw his warriors fleeing before the whites, then turned and fled. Closely pressed, he spurred the powerful steed over a low bluff, then or fifteen feet high, into the turbid stream, and gained the northern bank. Claiborne burned Econochaca, then marched northward eight miles, destroyed another village, and killed several Indians, then retraced his steps to Fort Claiborne by way of Fort Deposit.

Peter Williamson, county court judge; Franklin Armstrong, sheriff; John Varner, clerk of the county court; and Robert Perry, clerk of the circuit court, were the first officials.

Extracted From: Alabama: Her History, Resources, War Record, and Public Men From 1540 to 1872 By Willis Brewer, 1872.

History of Lowndes County Alabama

Local History Notes:

Local History and Genealogy Links: